When Under Attack

 

When my husband and I got married, he was still running his business in Albany, the capital city. Although we lived elsewhere, we spent a lot of time in Albany. It took me a while to get familiar with the big city. One day, while running an errand, I took a wrong turn and started to look for a spot to make a U-turn. I saw a beautifully paved private road and decided to pull in to complete the U-turn. Suddenly, before I could even realize what was happening, 4-5 armed soldiers came out from behind the distant building and ran towards my car with their weapons ready. I was terrified. I had unknowingly crossed a highly surveilled government territory. Apparently, I had totally missed the “NO U-TURN” signs displayed all over the entryway. Oops!

Though I was just there to make the U-turn, I was quickly made aware that I was treading in their territory.

In life, we experience different seasons that God takes us through to teach us and increase our spiritual awareness. The aim is to enable us to hear and discern His voice. However, during this process, we also automatically become more sensitive to the voice of the enemy. Just like the soldiers in my incident, the enemy is quick to remind us that the spiritual realm is also his territory. I remember a friend telling me that she felt attacked by the enemy. She said, "I know that God is doing something good in my life, but I feel like I'm in a constant mental battle."

This is precisely what happened to Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. The Bible records that Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. (Luke 4:1) Notice that the Spirit led him there.

During his time in the wilderness, Jesus was strengthened and finely tuned to hear "every word from the mouth of God." However, the enemy saw this as an opportunity to attack Jesus.  He was tempted for some time. It's noted that "the enemy left him until the next opportunity came” (vs. 13).   

When God began to work in my life, I faced one difficulty after another. It was a time of trials and tribulations that left me feeling emotionally and spiritually drained.  It was my time in the wilderness. I felt like I was being attacked by the enemy and struggled to see a bright future. However, to my delight, I later came to realize that God was working on my spiritual ear and heightening my awareness of Him. He was fine-tuning my ability to discern His voice from the voice of the enemy.

Supporting Texts

I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her (Ho. 2:14)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Eph

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. (2 Ti. 4:18)